• HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • DIGITAL NOMAD
  • WORK ONLINE
  • TRAVEL
  • DESTINATIONS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

Two Tickets Anywhere

Digital Nomad Couple

  • DIGITAL NOMAD
  • WORK ONLINE
  • TRAVEL
  • DESTINATIONS
    • Colombia
    • Croatia
    • Greece
    • Guatemala
    • Mexico
    • Portugal

Sim Card Guatemala 2023: Which One Should You Buy?

Category Guatemala Updated on January 8, 2023

sim card guatemala
"This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support."

SIM Card Guatemala…how in the world do you navigate which company to buy, where to get it and which plan to go with?!

We had exactly those same questions before we arrived in Guatemala. It’s always important that when you land in a new country – the first thing you do is get a SIM card.

You need to be connected to the internet so you can let your family know you’re okay or simply post an Instagram story saying “We’ve arrived!!”.

Yeah, wifi can work but what if you need to go out and heavily rely on Google Maps to get around like us? You’re going to need to buy a SIM card in Guatemala with a good data plan and the best coverage around the country.

We went through the entire process ourselves and live to write this blog post about buying a SIM card in Guatemala. We made this as detailed and informative as possible so you get only the information you need.

In This Article: show
SIM Card Guatemala Guide 2023
Mobile Internet Providers in Guatemala – 2 Companies
This Is The Best Pre-Paid Sim Card Guatemala
How to Buy a SIM Card Guatemala
Where To Buy A SIM Card Guatemala
Price of a SIM Card Guatemala 2023
Do I Need a Passport to Buy a SIM Card in Guatemala?
How to Top-Up/Recharge Your Guatemalan SIM Card
Which Is The Best SIM Card in Guatemala in 2023?

SIM Card Guatemala Guide 2023

  • Which SIM card company should you go with?
  • Where do you buy a SIM card in Guatemala?
  • Which data plan should you take?

All of those questions need to be answered before you even step into a store. The last thing you want is to be flabbergasted and overwhelmed by the questions at the official store! We did a lot of research before buying ours and it honestly pays off! Since you’re reading this blog – you’re already on the right track!

buying a sim card guatemala

It’s actually not as complicated as it seems and we’ve made this guide as simple as possible for you to easily understand and successfully get a SIM card in Guatemala. It’s as easy as buying a SIM card in Playa del Carmen, Mexico too!

Need The Quick Answer? Buy a Tigo prepaid SIM card – it has the best and fastest coverage around the country. You can buy it at any tienda or official Tigo store and it will cost $13 USD for 8GB of data plus free social media apps usage for 30 days.

Here’s the complete guide to buying a SIM card in Guatemala:

Mobile Internet Providers in Guatemala – 2 Companies

There are 3 mobile providers in Guatemala – Tigo, Claro and Movistar Guatemala. However, only 2 companies are actually worth the money.

The 2 best mobile providers in Guatemala are:

  • Tigo Guatemla
  • Claro Guatemala

We recommend Tigo! We asked our Guatemala friend which one we should go with and it was a resounding “Tigo”. There’s no doubt that Tigo has the best coverage all over the country which is important if you plan to go to places like Lake Atitlan, Flores, Antigua and more.

Claro is also a good option with very good coverage but it’s just not as great as Tigo. The data plans are slightly bigger (you’ll get more gigabytes) but you’ll also pay more for a Claro SIM card in Guatemala.

This Is The Best Pre-Paid Sim Card Guatemala

The ultimate question…

…Which is the best sim card in Guatemala for you to buy?

Tigo! Depending on how long you stay in Guatemala, they offer 1, 2, 3, 7, and 30 day plans. As digital nomads, we normally stay in a country for 1-3 months and the 30 day package makes the most sense!

Tigo SIM Card Guatemala Offers

Tigo offers deals for a number of days which gives you 8GB of data / internet for things like Google searches or Maps, etc and it also includes unlimited social media usage depending on the length of days.

You can buy data plans for 1, 2, 3, 7 and 30 days. It’s important to note that for days 1-7, you get a certain amount of data as the internet package and only unlimited access to WhatsApp. If you take a 30 day plan, you will get 8GB of data plus unlimited social media (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify).

tigo sim card guatemala

If you’re a digital nomad like us, we recommend taking the 30 day internet package with unlimited social media. This also includes unlimited calls and text on the network.

We took a 30 day plan since we were staying in Guatemala for at least a month. The amount of data was more than enough for us to get around and search on the internet and the unlimited social media usage eg. Instagram is perfect!

The Tigo SIM card itself costs 50 GTQ ($6.50 USD). If you don’t already have a Tigo SIM card, you will need to pay this but only for the first time. Once you’ve got it – you only have to pay for the top-up recharge costs.

Claro SIM Card Guatemala Offers

If you can’t find a Tigo store anywhere around you – Claro is your next best option!

It’s really a close second to Tigo because the coverage is pretty good – it’s just not as great. This won’t be a problem if you stay in the main tourist areas like Lake Atitlan or Antigua. If you travel further out to Semuc Champey or Flores – you could switch to Tigo later if you’re worried about the reception.

claro sim card plans guatemala

The data plans offer much bigger gigabytes. If you need more GB to do the mobile hotspot and work, Claro might be the better option for you. However, it does cost more than Tigo.

Note: One of the annoying things about the phone companies in Latin America is that they send an absurd amount of spam texts! You’ll get plenty of promotional text messages throughout the day almost every single day! You could probably turn off notifications on your phone otherwise there’s no other way around it!

How to Buy a SIM Card Guatemala

There are a lot of different places to buy a SIM card in Guatemala. Here are the most popular (and convenient) ways to buy yours:

  • Option #1: buying at the small tiendas on the side of the street
  • Option #2: buying at the official Tigo/Claro stores

Sometimes the small tiendas won’t sell the SIM card but you can recharge/top up your data plan for any tiendas that have a Tigo or Claro sign.

The best (and easiest) way to buy a SIM card in Guatemala is to go into the official stores of Tigo and Claro. This also allows you to be confident you’re being registered properly and you can be confident you’ll get exactly what you want.

If you go with option #2, you’ll also be speaking with the sales rep directly. They will know the latest deals, help you set up your new number and help choose the right plan for you!

Even with our limited Spanish, it was so much better and saved us hassle down the track!

TTA PRO TIP: Once you’ve got your SIM card, immediately take a photo of your new numbers. As digital nomads, we are constantly buying new numbers and this makes it really to pull up your phone number when you need it (we create a photo album of our current number).

Where To Buy A SIM Card Guatemala

You can buy SIM cards in most places in Guatemala. We highly recommend you buy it either in Antigua or Lake Atitlan.

While you could buy it at the airport, it’s always too stressful for us because we’re just trying to get to our Airbnb and don’t have ample time to assess the companies, the SIM cards, plans, pricing, etc.

tigo sim card guatemala booth

You should choose the SIM card company you want to go with first before stepping into any stores. It’s easier to choose than simply head to the closest store to you. Even if you need to go further out of your way – you’ll only need to do this once which makes the trip worth it!

Here’s the location of SIM card stores in Lake Atitlan and Antigua.

Location of SIM card stores in Antigua, Guatemala:

It’s much easier to get a SIM card in Antigua than it is in Lake Atitlan. There are so many more store locations all around town.

claro store location antigua guatemala

Depending on where you stay in Antigua, you can either walk to the store or take an Uber (which is available here). Both stores are only a couple of blocks away from the main square in Antigua. Now you don’t have to buy your SIM card in these official stores – some people prefer to do it from the smaller tiendas – it’s up to you!

Here’s the official store location to buy a Tigo SIM card in Antigua, Guatemala.

Here’s the official store location to buy a Claro SIM card in Antigua, Guatemala.

Location of SIM card stores in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala:

Did you come from San Cristobal to Guatemala like us? You probably got dropped off in Panajachel and spent the night after the long 14-hour journey! Or maybe you took the shuttle from Antigua to Lake Atitlan? If you’re planning on staying at the lake for a while – here’s where to buy a SIM card in Lake Atitlan.

Where To Buy A SIM Card In Panajachel

Panajachel (aka Pana as the locals say) is the best place to buy a SIM card. It is the main town on Lake Atitlan to withdraw cash, visit banks and get a brand new SIM card.

claro store panajachel lake atitlan

The Tigo SIM card location in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan is near the Claro one – just be on the lookout.

Here’s the store location to buy a Claro SIM card in Panajachel:

Price of a SIM Card Guatemala 2023

In Guatemala or Central America in general, you have to buy the SIM card itself and then buy the data plan to go with it. If you stay at least a month – you will get the best deals on internet packages!

The cost for a Tigo SIM card Guatemala is:

  • 50Q ($6.50 USD) for the chip/SIM
  • + 99Q ($13 USD) for 8GB on the 30 day data plan
  • = 149Q ($19.50 USD) total for both the chip and plan.

The cost for a Claro SIM card Guatemala is:

  • 0Q FREE chip/SIM
  • + 199Q ($26 USD) for 15G on the 30 day data plan
  • = 199Q ($26 USD) total for both the chip and plan.

Do I Need a Passport to Buy a SIM Card in Guatemala?

Yes, you need to have your passport with you to buy a SIM card in Guatemala.

usa passport with hand

This seems to be a thing all over Latin America where they need your passport to be able to register the phone number. We brought ours because we figured this was the case like when we bought our SIM cards in Medellin. However, you don’t need a passport to buy a SIM card in Mexico.

How to Top-Up/Recharge Your Guatemalan SIM Card

Recharging your SIM card in Guatemala is very easy!

You can go up to any tienda (small shop) or convenience store with a sign that says Tigo or Claro. Simply say you need to recharge your data (not saldo – which is balance in Spanish meaning calls/texts). They will likely pull out the list of data plans and deals – you can just point out which one you want and they will handle the rest.

A recharge/top-up will cost around 99Q ($13 USD) for 30 days with 8GB of data and unlimited Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Spotify.

Which Is The Best SIM Card in Guatemala in 2023?

If you want the best coverage and fastest speed all over Guatemala – Tigo Guatemala is the provider you need to go with!

Our Guatemalan friend verified Tigo was the best and that’s we chose it. On Lake Atitlan, it’s very rare/impossible to get 5G at the moment but we did get 3G and 4G at times. In Antigua, you’ll always get 4G or LTE which makes connecting to the internet very easy and hassle-free!

This guide should make it easy and hassle-free to get choose the right providers, internet plans, and more. We hope this was helpful for you! It’s pretty stressful to be in a foreign country and not have access to the internet – that’s why it’s so important for you to get your Guatemalan SIM card right away. We realize how much we rely on data when we can’t use Google Maps to get to a restaurant lol!

In: Guatemala

Sunday Suitcase Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! Each Sunday you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle tips, new destination guides and work online tips to ease you into your week.

You’ll Also Love

living in lake atitlan guatemalaLiving in Lake Atitlan Guatemala: All You Need To Know [2023 Updated]
antigua guatemala digital nomadUltimate Antigua Guatemala Digital Nomad Guide in 2023
cost of living in antigua guatemalaCost Of Living In Antigua Guatemala: Is It Cheap Or Expensive?
Next Post >

7x Trending Digital Nomad Hotspots You Should Visit in 2023

Welcome!

We’re Matt and Ashley, the American-Aussie couple behind this blog. In 2018, we realized we could take our work with us…anywhere in the world. We packed our bags, sold our stuff and bought two tickets to Bali. Today, we slow travel full-time, run our business from our laptops and embrace life one adventure at a time. We’ve completely fallen in love with the freedom that comes with this lifestyle and we hope to inspire you to join us on the digital nomad journey!

Sunday Suitcase Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! Each Sunday you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle tips, new destination guides and work online tips to ease you into your week.

say hi on instagram

Follow The Journey In Real-Time @TwoTicketsAnywhere_

better than the movies…💭🌴⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #trav better than the movies…💭🌴⁣
⁣
⁣
#travelreels #funnytravel #travelgram #exploretheworld #travel #chasingsunsets #sunsetlover #travelblog⁣
#digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle
3x UNDERRATED digital nomad destinations in europe 3x UNDERRATED digital nomad destinations in europe ✈️ (to visit this summer) - add these to your travel plans in 2023 (or 2024🤓)⁣
⁣
🇭🇷Croatia - stunning coastline, good wifi, growing DN community, beautiful nature and lots of cafes! ⁣
⁣
🇷🇸Serbia - friendly locals, low cost of living, fast wifi, plenty of activities, great cafes to work from & great dining scene. ⁣
⁣
🇨🇾Cyprus - great weather year-round, mountains + beaches, delicious food, growing community, good coworking spaces, endless outdoor activities.⁣
⁣
Have you already been to these countries? Which was your favorite? Share below! 👇⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#digitalnomaddiaries #workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #workanywhere #digitalnomadlifestyle #travelblog #digitalnomadlife #blogger #twoticketsanywhere #digitalnomadblogger #livethedream #maketheleap #passportcollective #digitalnomadgirl #exploretheworld #worldnomad
living, not surviving 🤝 ⁣ ⁣ why stay in an living, not surviving 🤝 ⁣
⁣
why stay in an office when you can travel + work remotely from anywhere ✈️⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #workanywhere #travelreels #funnytravel #travelgram
plus you get free access to paddle boards and kaya plus you get free access to paddle boards and kayaks 👀❤️‍🔥⁣
⁣
📍Free Cerveza, Lake Atitlan ⁣🇬🇹
⁣
⁣
⁣
#visitguatemala #lakeatitlan #travelreels #uniquestays #traveldestination #digitalnomadlife #exploreguatemala #digitalnomad
Flying out to Cyprus just made sense! 🇨🇾⁣ Flying out to Cyprus just made sense! 🇨🇾⁣
⁣
The weather in Europe started to get colder in October and if you know us, you’ll know we chase the sunshine ☀️⁣
⁣
The best part is that we were joining a coliving space with some friends we made back in Zagreb! We spent an awesome month together - exploring the country, getting work done together and getting to know each other better!⁣
⁣
We love coliving because you get to have an instant community as soon as you land. A nomadic life gets lonely (yes, even as a couple) and coliving spaces usually create great communities with like-minded people!⁣
⁣
⁣
@tohani_coliving was especially great at creating events for everyone. During our first week, we had a community design meeting to discuss and plan the kind of things we wanted to do together. I'll share more about our experience on coliving soon ✌️⁣
⁣
Here are some of the highlights:⁣
🌊 Swimming in the ocean with friends⁣
🚗 Weekend getaway to northern cyprus⁣
🎳 Bowling night with the coliving fam⁣
🍼 Meeting good friends (+ their cute baby)
🚤 Jet skiing with my girl @jbabbage 
🥟 Monday dinners at home with the coliving fam⁣
🏖️ Exploring the many beaches Cyprus has to offer⁣
⁣
Would you ever try staying in a coliving space?⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#digitalnomadcyprus #colivingspace #tohanicoliving #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #coliving #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #twoticketsanywhere #travelblogger #travelawesome #digitalnomadlifestyle #fulltimetravel #passportcollective #travelcouple #cyprusdigitalnomad #cyprus
Is Skopje, North Macedonia on your destination lis Is Skopje, North Macedonia on your destination list? 🇲🇰⁣
⁣
On our Europe tour, we decided to make Skopje home for a few weeks! One of the main reason is because I needed to renew my passport which is much faster outside the country.⁣
⁣
Other than that, we didn’t really know what to expect. There weren't many blogs or videos about being digital nomads here. We could only find 1 coworking space in the area but there were plenty of cafes to visit! There’s a huge cafe culture which is always nice.⁣
⁣
We had a really nice, modern, comfortable apartment in Skopje for $580 USD which was 5 minutes walking from the city center. The cost of living is pretty affordable and it’s very safe! ⁣
⁣
If you’re looking for a city to get some work done, explore the surrounding destinations and establish some routine or even simply go to the BEST gym I've ever been to (@fit_in_performance) - Skopje could be that place for you!⁣
⁣
Would you visit Skopje, North Macedonia as a digital nomad?⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadskopje #skopje #skopjedigitalnomad #skopjenorthmacedonia #visitskopje #visitnorthmacedonia #europedigitalnomad
Lisbon, Portugal is the top digital nomad destinat Lisbon, Portugal is the top digital nomad destination in Europe! 🇵🇹Why?⁣
⁣
One word: community!⁣
⁣
According to some digital nomad statistics, loneliness is the #1 reason people leave this lifestyle. When you’re traveling alone (or even as a couple), you easily feel all alone. Thankfully, the digital nomad community is very strong, open and welcoming!⁣
⁣
Lisbon is also a popular spot because of the fast wifi (we had speeds of 500+ Mbps), endless coworking options and a relatively affordable cost of living (except the rising rental prices, of course let's be real). ⁣
⁣
Our month in this wonderful city wasn’t long enough! It’s got all the simple things we love:⁣
 ☕ specialty coffee⁣
🍷 delicious food & wine⁣
🥑 bustling brunch scene and ⁣
👯 friendly people & community⁣
⁣
We can easily see why digital nomads keep coming back to this city and we hope we can explore more of Portugal (Porto, Algrave, etc).⁣
⁣
Have you been a digital nomad in Lisbon before? What were your thoughts?⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadportugal #lisbon #lisbondigitalnomad #lisbonportugal #visitlisbon #visitportugal #europedigitalnomad
We embarked on another 6-hour bus journey to our n We embarked on another 6-hour bus journey to our next digital nomad destination on this Europe tour.⁣
⁣
Zagreb, Croatia has been on our minds for a while. While most people think of Split or Dubrovnik, we wanted to visit the capital and see what it’s really like for digital nomads.⁣
⁣
These are some things that we think of before choosing a destination:⁣
- Is there an active digital nomad community?⁣
- What’s the wifi speeds like?⁣
- Are there good coworking spaces?⁣
- Is the cafe culture buzzing?⁣
⁣
And so much more! Our biggest concern was the community part. After traveling Serbia alone - we were starting to feel quite lonely! We joined an FB group and found someone had set up a weekly coworking day.⁣
⁣
It’s always nerve-wracking going to events where you don’t know anyone but as digital nomads, you get acquainted pretty quick! TLDR, we had a pretty close group of 8 working from cafes together, exploring Zagreb and getting to know each other.⁣
⁣
Zagreb is a great destination in Europe for a digital nomad wanting a more affordable cost of living while still exploring Croatia! 🇭🇷⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadcroatia #zagreb #zagrebdigitalnomad #zagrebcroatia #visitcroatia🇭🇷
Never did we think we would visit Serbia…⁣ ⁣ Never did we think we would visit Serbia…⁣
⁣
…but we are SO glad we did!⁣
⁣
Serbia surprised us in so many ways, we honestly didn’t know what to expect! ⁣
⁣
That’s one of the ways we like to approach some of our travels - not judging the country by its cover. You can hear some positive (or negative) things about countries but you never truly know until you experience it for yourself. ⁣
⁣
We spent a month living in Belgrade, Serbia and it wasn’t long enough! With such limited time, as digital nomads you have to hit the ground running to get settled into your new home. We used our first 3 days to find (good) cafes to work from, sign up for a gym membership and plan our travel across Serbia.⁣
⁣
Here are some reasons we can recommend Belgrade to fellow digital nomads:⁣
- friendly, welcoming people⁣
- they have delicious food⁣
- high standard of living⁣
- relatively low cost of living⁣
- fast wifi with tons of cafes to work from ⁣
⁣
We ate countless bureks, drank copious amounts of coffee and worked from some of the coolest cafes. We can’t wait to get back to Belgrade!⁣
⁣
Serbia, you stole our hearts!⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadserbia #belgrade #belgradedigitalnomad #belgradeserbia #visitserbia
European Digital Nomad Summer 2022, incoming ✨⁣
⁣
After 4 months in Medellin, Colombia - we decided to head to Europe for the rest of the year!⁣
⁣
Travel planning just becomes part of your lifestyle as digital nomads - it almost becomes a side hustle. When we're not working or exploring, we are researching/booking our next destinations!⁣
⁣
What countries did we decide on?⁣
🇬🇧 England⁣
🇦🇹 Austria⁣
🇭🇷 Croatia⁣
🇷🇸 Serbia⁣
🇫🇷 France⁣
🇳🇱 Netherlands⁣
🇵🇹 Portugal⁣
🇲🇰 North Macedonia⁣
and finally, a last-minute decision to visit...⁣
🇨🇾 Cyprus⁣
⁣
We found flights for only $400 to London from Colombia! My lovely friend and her husband were the best hosts and showed us around their new home. We spent a week in London exploring, acclimating to this continent and working from Pret! ⁣
⁣
TTA TIP: If you're in London, Pret has a subscription service for only about £30 and you get 5 drinks per day plus a cafe space to do a little work!⁣
⁣
*I'm going to be recapping the rest of our 2022 as digital nomads for the next few posts, we are currently in Asia🤪 ⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #locationindependent #freedomlifestyle #fulltimetravel #digitalnomadeurope #remotework #workonline #workfromanywhere #workandtravel #digitalnomadlifestyle

CATEGORIES

  • DIGITAL NOMAD
  • TRAVEL
  • WORK ONLINE
  • DESTINATIONS

Sunday Suitcase Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! Each Sunday you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle updates, new destination guides and work online tips to ease you into your week.

NAVIGATION

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT
  • DISCLAIMER
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2023 Two Tickets Anywhere